The Last Apprentice

Book No: 02 of 13

CurSe oF the BaNE

Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them – or worse.

Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor's clutches?

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have travelled to Priestown on some unfinished business. For deep in the catacombs of the ancient cathedral lurks a daemon the Spook has never been able to defeat, an entity so evil that the whole County is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. They call it 'the Bane'.As Tom and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy in Priestown. The Quisitor has arrived searching the County for those who meddle with the dark – witches, warlocks and spooks! Can Thomas and his master survive the horror that follows ...

Author's Comments:

This was a more difficult book to write. I was still working as a full-time teacher. As a head of department, I was preparing for an inspection and finding the re-writes of the editing process difficult and time-consuming. Once again, Charlie Sheppard is to be thanked for guiding me through it. It was at this time that ‘Greenwillow', an imprint of the USA publishing company ‘Harper Collins', signed me for a three-book deal and I realised that I was free to become a full-time writer.